ENDEIT

Standards

Lover, Come Back To Me chords & key

Sigmund Romberg

Key
E♭ major
Form
AAB
Bars
51
Groove
Medium-up swing
Time signature
4/4

“Lover, Come Back To Me” is a jazz standard by Sigmund Romberg. It is usually played in E♭ major as a medium-up swing, and the 51-bar AAB form has 3 sections. Harmonically it contains 1 major ii–V–I cadence and 5 minor ii–V–i, uses 13 different chords and moves between the key centres C minor and E♭ major. In this atlas it appears on 14 album tracks.

Chord changes

Showing in: Concert (C) — E♭ major

A
E♭6
E♭6
Dm7♭5
G7♭9
Cm7
Cm7
F7
G♭dim7
E♭6/G
Cm7
F7
B♭7
E♭6E♭6/G
1.
A♭6Adim7
E♭6/B♭Cm7
Fm7B♭7
2.
A♭6Adim7
E♭6/B♭
Dm7♭5G7♭9
B
Cm7
Cm7
Dm7♭5G7♭9
Cm7
Dm7♭5
G7♭9
A♭7
G7♭9
Cm7
Cm7
Dm7♭5G7♭9
Cm7
F7
F7
Fm7
B♭7
1.
A♭6Adim7
E♭6Cm7
Fm7B♭7

Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.

Harmonic analysis

1Major ii–V–I
5Minor ii–V–i
14ii–V moves
0Tritone substitutions
2Dominant chains
13Different chords

Most used chords

  • Cm7×14
  • E♭6×7
  • G7♭9×7
  • Dm7♭5×6
  • F7×6
  • B♭7×5

Key centres reached by ii–V

C minor and E♭ major

Recorded on these albums

1947 Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
1953 An Evening With Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday · “Lover Come Back to Me”
1954 Billie and Stan
Billie Holiday and Stan Getz · “Lover Come Back to Me”
1955 Sweet and Hot
Ella Fitzgerald · “Lover, Come Back to Me”
1956 Tenderly
Oscar Peterson · “Lover, Come Back to Me”
1963 The Second Barbra Streisand Album
Barbra Streisand · “Lover, Come Back to Me”
1964 Black Pearls
John Coltrane · “Lover, Come Back to Me”
1998 Lullabies of Birdland / Sweet and Hot
Ella Fitzgerald · “Lover, Come Back to Me”
1998 That Old Black Magic
Ella Fitzgerald · “Lover, Come Back to Me”
2000 Timeless: Live in Concert
Barbra Streisand · “Lover, Come Back to Me”
2002 Love You Madly
Duke Ellington · “Lover Come Back To Me”
2007 Stockholm Sweetnin'
Quincy Jones · “Lover Come Back to Me”
2022 Rose Of New York City: Barbra, 1961-1962 Live Recordings (Remastered)
Barbra Streisand · “Lover, Come Back To Me (Live At The Bon Soir, November 1962 Second Show) (Remastered)”
2022 Live at the Bon Soir
Barbra Streisand · “Lover, Come Back to Me”

Historic 78 rpm recordings

  • Lover come back to me Freddy Albeck · Romberg og Hammerstein archive.org ↗
  • LOVER COME BACK TO ME Horace Heidt and His Musical Knights · Al Hirt · Hammerstein II ·… · 1950 archive.org ↗
  • LOVER COME BACK TO ME THE STAN GETZ QUINTET · Stan Getz · Jimmy Raney · Duke Jordan · Bill… · 1953 archive.org ↗

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

TitleComposerKeyFormGroove
Alone Too Long 29% Arthur Schwartz G major AABA · 32 Ballad
Love Is The Sweetest Thing 29% Ray Noble D major AABA · 32 Medium swing
There Is No Greater Love 29% Isham Jones B♭ major AABA · 32 Medium swing
Dinah 27% Harry Akst G major BBA · 24 Medium-up swing
Nancy (With The Laughing Face) 26% Jimmy Van-Heusen E♭ major BBAA · 32 Ballad
Oh, Lady Be Good 26% George Gershwin G major AABA · 32 Medium-up swing
You Are Too Beautiful 26% Richard Rodgers C major AABA · 32 Ballad
Falling In Love With Love 24% Richard Rodgers B♭ major AA · 64 Jazz waltz

Frequently asked questions

What key is Lover, Come Back To Me in?

Lover, Come Back To Me is usually played in E♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is F major, for E♭ instruments C major.

Who wrote Lover, Come Back To Me?

Lover, Come Back To Me was written by Sigmund Romberg.

What is the form of Lover, Come Back To Me?

Lover, Come Back To Me has 3 sections (AAB) with 51 bars in total.

How fast is Lover, Come Back To Me played?

The usual groove is Medium-up swing.

What are the chord changes to Lover, Come Back To Me?

The opening bars are Eb6 | Eb6 | Dm7b5 | G7b9. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.